19. UNITED AIRLINES OF USA DECIDES TO CHARGE OBESE FLYERS FOR 2 SEATS
The airlines wrote on its website: ‘ those deemed too fat to fly must either purchase a ticket for an additional seat, or purchase an upgrade to a cabin with seats that address the problem.’ Flight attendants will search for passengers who can’t buckle the seat belts or put their armrests down. In case no other seats are available on a flight, the overweight flyer will be grounded until two adjacent seats can be found on the next plane out.
My comments: Depending on how this new measure turns out in the case of United Airlines, other Airlines in due course would decide what they should do. But here is a genuine problem of Airlines. Capacity in airline is largely measured by weight. So if a fatty occupies a seat, apart from the fact of his making the person sitting next to him uncomfortable, the plane may have to offload some cargo to accommodate the fatty. Junk food, lack of exercise, etc., have resulted in more and more fattys inhabiting our wonderful mother earth. As it is on cards that there would be more and more fattys, at one time or another the problem of fat of an individual gets translated to the service provider, be it in bus or cinema hall. Fattys must unite and agitate against this discrimination but where will they find a place to sit down together and chalk out their strategy against the lean and mean people, who think they have inherited the earth.
20. SCAMSTERS DUPE AN EXECUTIVE OF Rs. 40 lAKH.
They lured him with promise of reward to the tune of Rs. 6 crore. The scamsters floated fake websites of banks and courier service providers to execute the fraud. The scamsters contacted the victim and told him that he had won an award from a software giant. Later a man claiming to be representative of an international legal firm contacted the victim and sought his personal details in order to put the process of handing him the prize money. The victim was directed to contact the forwarding agency which was supposed to help him transfer his winning booty. The forwarding agency first asked for Rs. 3.2 lakhs for the consignment delivery which was paid by the victim. He was then told that one person – a ‘ diplomat’ – had been deputed to remit the money to him in India. Then the scamsters sent an e-mail to victim from one of their fake website in the name of prestigious UK Bank informing the victim that for the transfer of funds they needed a non residential tax clearance as well as an order fee of Rs. 3.5 lakhs, since the victim was not a British citizen. The victim accordingly deposited the money. The so called diplomat and bank contacted the victim for more money. By this time, the victim had deposited a total of Rs. 22 lakhs to various accounts as advised by the scamsters. The scamsters again wrote to the victim demanding Rs. 2 lakhs for ‘anti money laundering certificate’ and ‘anti terrorist certificate’.
Meanwhile a woman contacted the victim posing as chief remittance officer from Mumbai and asked him to deposit Rs. 10 lakh as insurance in order to claim the money. Ultimately the scamsters demanded Rs. 50 lakhs more for the money to be remitted. By that time the victim had no more money available with him. He complained to the police.
The police have not been able to make any headway in the matter as the scamsters have been careful to ensure that there is no trail.
My comments: There is no limit to human greed and gullibility. I have no sympathy for the victim and in fact some lurking admiration for the scamsters. They would have meticulously planned the operation. They would not have picked up just anybody to be their victim. They would have studied the psychological profile of the victim. But the best part is their evaluation of the victim as a person who would not confide with others what he is doing. And they made the victim to cough up lot of money. They had taken risks. Will they be caught. I doubt it. If they can pull off with a tricky operation as this, it would be a child’s play for them to ‘ manage the police.’
21. TERMS USED THESE DAYS TO DENOTE BLACK MONEY TRANSFER:
Money launderers and plain crooks have changed the terms or nomenclature to denote the amount of money involved in undertaking a job or in betting or for giving to a politician. It was ‘ peti’ and khoka’ for along time. One would have heard the terms in Hindi fillums. But these terms have lost their shine because of their overuse and easily identifiable by law officers, who now tap phones. The new terms are ‘ kitab ‘ and ‘ copy.’ Given below are the terms for the level of money involved:
1 Copy - Rs. 10,000
1 Alphonso - Rs. 1 crore
1 Kitab - Rs. 1 crore
1 Rupiya - Rs. 1 crore
1 Khoka - Rs. 1 crore
1 Peti - Rs. 1 lakh
My comments: When you go to market next time and ask the vegetable seller ‘ two alphonso’ you could run into the risk of conveying the message that you want Rs. 2 crores of black money. If you send a message to a relative or friend that you are sending a box of alphonsos or some kitab and if perchance the authorities are checking your messages, you could be in trouble. While media and general public use the term of ‘ Black money, ‘ in the parlance of business people and politicians the same is termed as ‘ No.2 account.’ In these days when you can’t make out between a crook and decent guy, it is better to have some basic knowledge of these factors.
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Sunday, May 24, 2009
National election and Government formation
Related to the subject matter, we seem to live with lot of amnesia, wishful thinking, incomparable comparisons, sweeping assessments and throwing unpalatable truths under the carpet. The media ( both print and visual ) is the biggest culprit of these tendencies.
· 30% to 40% of MPs were being replaced in the national elections in the past, which happened this time also. So what is there to hype about it.
· Media launched hyper campaign urging everybody to vote. Now is there any difference between one who votes negatively, i.e., to none of the candidates, as allowed by Election law and one who does not vote. In many countries the %age of voting is slightly above, equal or lower to the level of voting in this country. Since the number of voters for each constituency is far higher in India ( because of our huge population ) compared to almost all countries, in relation to the concept of election, does it matter if voting is 40% of voters population, which would be much higher than the votes polled in other countries.
· Caste was not the sole or even the most important criteria for voting in villages in the past as has been the case in this election also.
· There has been no youth wave this time, as media made it out to be. In fact the number of youth elected this time is lower than the number of youth elected to the first Parliament.
· Media hollered: ‘ this country must be now be run by youth, as in other countries.’ By far most of the countries are run by old people. And then again why make this principle only for running the Government. Going by the philosophy of media that youth will deliver, why not old people in all other professions and business and trade and particularly in the fourth estate retire.
· Media now comes out with lot of half hearted explanations on their predictions going wrong.
· There was call in media for American type presidential election debate in India also. Alas, there is no limit for ignorance. In America either of the two candidates is elected as President. In India the leader of the ruling party and/or the opposition leader could lose in elections and then again it is only after the election the party nomine for the post of Prime Minister is decided / nominated by the parties. So who will debate with whom before the verdict of the elections.
· Nepotism, corruption and inefficiency are parts of all walks of life in India. Then why think in terms of only politics to be above these negative attributes.
· To media America is the world or the country to emulated. But from a number of points of view that is wrong ideal. Take the recent financial scandal or the warming up of the earth or uninhibited consumption, then America is not at all the model. There are over 25,000 lobbyists in USA. Whoever can influence the elected and Government there, get the dividends. And in this process much money changes hands, illegally, apart from other allurements. Should we emulate that example.
· Dynasty in politics. This is also questioned by media and typically the media quotes the example of America. But societies of these two countries differ vastly. In India family ties are much more strong. Father to son in terms of bequeathing property is the norm. Son follows father’s profession or occupation, be it agriculture, business, profession, politics. So why only pick on politics.
· Caste politics is derogatively addressed as a major problem in India. But then world over the situation is not different. White man vs Black man, Catholic vs Protestant. In our personal lives we follow all the nuances of the castes to which we belong. Then how could it be separated in politics.
· The media is its full blast on the economic reform agenda for the new government and what media means reform agenda is only related to business. Yes, that has to be attended to. But the first priority has to be delivery to the masses provisions made by Government, be it providing drinking water, education, medical facilities, assured employment for a number of days, etc.
******
· 30% to 40% of MPs were being replaced in the national elections in the past, which happened this time also. So what is there to hype about it.
· Media launched hyper campaign urging everybody to vote. Now is there any difference between one who votes negatively, i.e., to none of the candidates, as allowed by Election law and one who does not vote. In many countries the %age of voting is slightly above, equal or lower to the level of voting in this country. Since the number of voters for each constituency is far higher in India ( because of our huge population ) compared to almost all countries, in relation to the concept of election, does it matter if voting is 40% of voters population, which would be much higher than the votes polled in other countries.
· Caste was not the sole or even the most important criteria for voting in villages in the past as has been the case in this election also.
· There has been no youth wave this time, as media made it out to be. In fact the number of youth elected this time is lower than the number of youth elected to the first Parliament.
· Media hollered: ‘ this country must be now be run by youth, as in other countries.’ By far most of the countries are run by old people. And then again why make this principle only for running the Government. Going by the philosophy of media that youth will deliver, why not old people in all other professions and business and trade and particularly in the fourth estate retire.
· Media now comes out with lot of half hearted explanations on their predictions going wrong.
· There was call in media for American type presidential election debate in India also. Alas, there is no limit for ignorance. In America either of the two candidates is elected as President. In India the leader of the ruling party and/or the opposition leader could lose in elections and then again it is only after the election the party nomine for the post of Prime Minister is decided / nominated by the parties. So who will debate with whom before the verdict of the elections.
· Nepotism, corruption and inefficiency are parts of all walks of life in India. Then why think in terms of only politics to be above these negative attributes.
· To media America is the world or the country to emulated. But from a number of points of view that is wrong ideal. Take the recent financial scandal or the warming up of the earth or uninhibited consumption, then America is not at all the model. There are over 25,000 lobbyists in USA. Whoever can influence the elected and Government there, get the dividends. And in this process much money changes hands, illegally, apart from other allurements. Should we emulate that example.
· Dynasty in politics. This is also questioned by media and typically the media quotes the example of America. But societies of these two countries differ vastly. In India family ties are much more strong. Father to son in terms of bequeathing property is the norm. Son follows father’s profession or occupation, be it agriculture, business, profession, politics. So why only pick on politics.
· Caste politics is derogatively addressed as a major problem in India. But then world over the situation is not different. White man vs Black man, Catholic vs Protestant. In our personal lives we follow all the nuances of the castes to which we belong. Then how could it be separated in politics.
· The media is its full blast on the economic reform agenda for the new government and what media means reform agenda is only related to business. Yes, that has to be attended to. But the first priority has to be delivery to the masses provisions made by Government, be it providing drinking water, education, medical facilities, assured employment for a number of days, etc.
******
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Bizarre - Ivth instalment
15. DENMARK DOCTORS HIRE CALL GIRLS FOR PATIENTS
The Danish Government made no objection to this development. There was a tendency earlier for some of the patients to seek company of female employees for honourable purposes! To cope up with this situation and not lose clientele, doctors came up with this innovative idea. This neat arrangement is bound to be followed by some other countries, because hospitals there may find exodus of male patients to Denmark.
My comments: This news may bring wariness, astonishment, shock, etc., among many of the Indian readers. But come to think of it and one may see plus points. Patients go to hospitals for treatment and occasionally for recuperation also. Treatment and recuperation could be through medicines, operations, rest, etc., This new development has to be viewed from this perspective. If the added activity (!) of the patients leads to curing their problems, then why not. Whatever puritans may say, this is the truth.
16. UK HIRED AN ASTROLOGER TO FIGHT HITLER
Desperate for a glimpse into Adolf Hitler's unpredictable mind, British spies hired an astrologer during World War II to write horoscopes of Hitler and other Nazi leaders.
My comments: Astrology is an enigma. It has no scientific approval. Yet even rational people are hooked into it. Most of the people at one time or other would have noticed that some of the predictions of astrologers had come true. And then onwards they are hooked, despite many other projections going wrong. The truth is overlooked that without any knowledge about the future one could do some guess-work and some such predictions could come true. If something goes wrong, i.e., against the prediction, then pundits advice the corrective measures, most often this or that puja. However irrational it may be, people who are believers in astrology, cannot shake it off. That is why still the mandatory horoscope matching before marriage among Hindus in India. And many people consult astrologers or look at their horoscopes before undertaking travel. It is because of this belief in astrology that so many TV channels and magazines thrive. There are daily columns in papers. Illogical. But beliefs are beliefs, such as, There is God/ there is no God, and it would be naive to look at the matter from the point of view of rationality. The beliefs have been carried on for ages. Our genes contain that belief transmitted from generation to generation. It is difficult to shake off that belief. Hence even after another century, astrology would in all likelihood would be as much sought as it is today.
17. WEIRDEST EXAM SUPERSTITIONS.
Wear blue and then you will pass the exam - so said a Pundit to a student. And that is exactly what the student did: blue shirts and blue pants to blue underwear. Some use only one lucky pen. Some don't shave during the period of exams. Some don't take bath on the day of exam. Some use only green pencils. Some have a peg of whisky before the exam. Some, being superstitious, start with the fourth question first for writing the answer.
My comments: Man by now have achieved many things. Yet, when it comes to superstitions he is still in the primitive age. It is there in his psyche. This has nothing to do with education. It must be a punishment of God. That is my reasoning or is it my superstition.
18. A husband too many
A 32 year old woman and her parents were arrested by the Mumbai Police for allegedly cheating city businessmen over the last 18 years.
The police said Bangalore based Kausar Begam cheated people by marrying them and fleeing with their money and valuables. Then, she would register complaints of dowry harassment against her husbands. Begam's parents Iqbal Pasha and Gulnaz, who had allegedly been assisting her, are in police custody.
The police said the trio targeted only businessmen and visited five star hotels to approach them. Begum would befriend the victim and propose marriage. After the wedding, she would flee with valuables and threaten to lodge a dowry harassment case.
My comments: I like crooks who do such operation. There is style. They are not uncouth. If there are suckers in the world, then there would also be tricksters. However, I cannot resist commenting that the tricksters as above are really people with verve, energy and courageous.
The Danish Government made no objection to this development. There was a tendency earlier for some of the patients to seek company of female employees for honourable purposes! To cope up with this situation and not lose clientele, doctors came up with this innovative idea. This neat arrangement is bound to be followed by some other countries, because hospitals there may find exodus of male patients to Denmark.
My comments: This news may bring wariness, astonishment, shock, etc., among many of the Indian readers. But come to think of it and one may see plus points. Patients go to hospitals for treatment and occasionally for recuperation also. Treatment and recuperation could be through medicines, operations, rest, etc., This new development has to be viewed from this perspective. If the added activity (!) of the patients leads to curing their problems, then why not. Whatever puritans may say, this is the truth.
16. UK HIRED AN ASTROLOGER TO FIGHT HITLER
Desperate for a glimpse into Adolf Hitler's unpredictable mind, British spies hired an astrologer during World War II to write horoscopes of Hitler and other Nazi leaders.
My comments: Astrology is an enigma. It has no scientific approval. Yet even rational people are hooked into it. Most of the people at one time or other would have noticed that some of the predictions of astrologers had come true. And then onwards they are hooked, despite many other projections going wrong. The truth is overlooked that without any knowledge about the future one could do some guess-work and some such predictions could come true. If something goes wrong, i.e., against the prediction, then pundits advice the corrective measures, most often this or that puja. However irrational it may be, people who are believers in astrology, cannot shake it off. That is why still the mandatory horoscope matching before marriage among Hindus in India. And many people consult astrologers or look at their horoscopes before undertaking travel. It is because of this belief in astrology that so many TV channels and magazines thrive. There are daily columns in papers. Illogical. But beliefs are beliefs, such as, There is God/ there is no God, and it would be naive to look at the matter from the point of view of rationality. The beliefs have been carried on for ages. Our genes contain that belief transmitted from generation to generation. It is difficult to shake off that belief. Hence even after another century, astrology would in all likelihood would be as much sought as it is today.
17. WEIRDEST EXAM SUPERSTITIONS.
Wear blue and then you will pass the exam - so said a Pundit to a student. And that is exactly what the student did: blue shirts and blue pants to blue underwear. Some use only one lucky pen. Some don't shave during the period of exams. Some don't take bath on the day of exam. Some use only green pencils. Some have a peg of whisky before the exam. Some, being superstitious, start with the fourth question first for writing the answer.
My comments: Man by now have achieved many things. Yet, when it comes to superstitions he is still in the primitive age. It is there in his psyche. This has nothing to do with education. It must be a punishment of God. That is my reasoning or is it my superstition.
18. A husband too many
A 32 year old woman and her parents were arrested by the Mumbai Police for allegedly cheating city businessmen over the last 18 years.
The police said Bangalore based Kausar Begam cheated people by marrying them and fleeing with their money and valuables. Then, she would register complaints of dowry harassment against her husbands. Begam's parents Iqbal Pasha and Gulnaz, who had allegedly been assisting her, are in police custody.
The police said the trio targeted only businessmen and visited five star hotels to approach them. Begum would befriend the victim and propose marriage. After the wedding, she would flee with valuables and threaten to lodge a dowry harassment case.
My comments: I like crooks who do such operation. There is style. They are not uncouth. If there are suckers in the world, then there would also be tricksters. However, I cannot resist commenting that the tricksters as above are really people with verve, energy and courageous.
Monday, May 18, 2009
Bizarre - IVth instalment
11. PRISON IS MY HOME AND INMATES MY KIN – JAIL IYER ENJOYS BEING BEHIND BARS
For about 40 years Chandrasekhar was in the Chennai prison. He was arrested for the first time for a crime when he was a kid. When the time came to release him, Iyer felt that prison life suited him better than life outside, with no relatives, friends, no education and no vocational training. Every time he was released he would make shoddy attempts to impersonate people and would be caught and sent back to prison.
Thanks to his long years of incarceration, Iyer has forged a fantastic spy network among the prison inmates. Fiercely loyal to the prison establishment, he has earned a reputation for being reliable informant. He was always the first to inform jail officers if any of the inmates are planning any jail break or other crimes within the prison. Iyer was so trustworthy that prison administration used to send him, with other staff to market to purchase vegetables for the prison. Iyer was also the most preferred orderly for top prison officials posted to Chennai Central Prison.
Iyer also mastered the provisions of Indian Penal Code, Code of Criminal Procedure and the Jail Manual. Aware of every bit of information that could be useful to inmates, he has given other inmates advice on how their cases should be handled and which lawyers to engage. When he was transferred to another jail, Iyer got a Court order to return back to his original prison.
After his release his whereabouts are not known.
My Comments: South Indian Brahmins ( Iyers) are by nature studious, hard working, honest, ritual oriented, who give a lot of importance to kinship. They are goal oriented. Rarely one comes across an Iyer who is a thief or pick-pocket or a goonda. This Iyer must be an exception. But I immensely like him. He has endeared himself both with prison authorities and jail-mates, despite his being an informer to the jail authorities on any plan of inmates for jail break. That this Iyer has become an icon must be due to the attribute of goal oriented I have mentioned above about Iyers. Readers who share my views join me in wishing this person luck and joyous life.
12. BILL BOARDS WITH ‘EYES’ TO FIND TARGET PRACTICE AUDIENCE
A new high Japanese electronic display can instantly identify people's sex or age range and target them with advertisements to suit them.
The 50 inch plasma display will appear at an annual festival in Tokyo run by Fuki Television network.
If the device finds viewers are predominantly female in the 20s, it will show cute miscellaneous items sold by Fuji Television for young women. Changing advertising products in accordance with the viewer would bring advertising closer to the purchaser, according to the Company.
My comments: All of us are fascinated with new innovations. It is only after some time that we find the negative outcomes. But there can be no two opinion that the Japanese are on the top in inventing such gadgets and that is the reason for their being the second richest country, after US of A.
13. THE CRAFTY BURGLAR, WHO TOOK TO BURGLARY TO SUPPORT HIS WIFE’S LUXURIOUS LIFE STYLE.
62 year old Balaraman, is a nimble fingered carpenter. He had atleast 60 burglaries to his credit. He is almost a permanent resident of Central Prison in Chennai where he has spent over 30 years.
More than the number of burglaries, Balaraman stands out for his style. He is not the kind who breaks into a house and snatches what he can. Lazy some may call it, but Balaraman likes to spend five to six hours inside the house being burgled. He does not call it quits, even after the job is done. He raids the kitchen for food.
Balaraman did the burglaries to enable his wife to a have luxurious lifestyle. And as a carpenter Balaraman could not earn enough to meet the wishes of his wife. According to Balaraman after doing two or three burglaries, which would enable his wife in style for some time, he is ready to enter prison.
Balaraman is an excellent carpenter and his talent has been used by prison officials when he was in prison.
My comments: We see such characters only in films. I wish I could meet this fellow in flesh and blood. Could there be any other woman in the earth who is luckier than this gutsy guy’s wife. Here is a character who is willing to go to jail time and again just to make his wife live comfortably ( and happily, I suppose). He has elegance and style. He is not every day burglar who would make haste in removing himself from the scene of crime. Here is a fellow with an attitude. After the burglary he settles down for a meal in the house which he has burgled. I think this guy is an excellent material for a psychological study
13. SPANISH PARLIAMENT TO GRANT SOME HUMAN RIGHTS TO APES
The Spanish Parliament has proposed to take the unprecedented step in according limited human rights to apes. ' The ape will not be arbitrarily deprived of its liberty and hence will not be confined to jail. No more use of apes in circuses, TV ads and experiments.’
Some argue against this proposal: It is a little surprising that Spain known for its bloody bullfights, would become the first country in the world to take such a measure. Then again, what rights do animals have in the wild.
On the other side many feel that apes / gorillas cannot be grouped absolutely with other animals. These creatures are in many respects a specie between human beings and animals and hence they need to be treated more benignly than other animals.
My comments: Man who is the descendant of monkeys/apes, progressed in the management of his life and requirement of food. Then learnt to speak and write. Then he made technological progress. The monkeys and apes are still there where they were when human beings took a different path. Then human beings grouped monkeys/ apes with other animals because they had not progressed and were living like animals. In other words, man had the amnesia of development and forgot his ancestors. Then as research of animals progressed, it was noted that monkeys/apes have certain characteristics which are different from other animals. The latest development is just one step for human beings to revisit his origin and show some kindness to our forefathers or to atone for the sin committed by human beings to their ancestors.
14. FREE ENTERPRISE OF THIEVES
Some time back in Bangladesh thieves had grouped themselves into an Association, one of the functions of which is to offer training courses to new entrants, particularly in picking pockets. The Association was able to enroll within a short time of its formation more than 10,000 members. How could India lag behind Bangladesh. Sometime back Delhi police arrested 11 members of a pick pocket gang, which had specialised in picking mobiles from parked vehicles. The gang was running in corporate style with members ( professionals ) working only on week days and getting wages for their weekly off. They also got paid holidays when they felt like taking a break. Even the work was highly organized and specialized. There was a fixed formula for 'profit sharing.'.
My comments: . Pickpockets and other thieves do wrong. But they now have the gumption to admit that they are doing so. Is that the case with other people who pilfer money from the government, form the people, etc., Common people have an aversion for politicians. Common people are exasperated with babus. Common people dread policemen. The avarice level of businessmen is a known fact. Doctors and lawyers squeeze their clients, irrespective of the fact whether the clients can afford. Collectively they do more harm to common man than the pick pockets. But all of the above groups have their respective associations. Then why not the pick pockets. Yes, their effort of forming an Association is not without merit.
For about 40 years Chandrasekhar was in the Chennai prison. He was arrested for the first time for a crime when he was a kid. When the time came to release him, Iyer felt that prison life suited him better than life outside, with no relatives, friends, no education and no vocational training. Every time he was released he would make shoddy attempts to impersonate people and would be caught and sent back to prison.
Thanks to his long years of incarceration, Iyer has forged a fantastic spy network among the prison inmates. Fiercely loyal to the prison establishment, he has earned a reputation for being reliable informant. He was always the first to inform jail officers if any of the inmates are planning any jail break or other crimes within the prison. Iyer was so trustworthy that prison administration used to send him, with other staff to market to purchase vegetables for the prison. Iyer was also the most preferred orderly for top prison officials posted to Chennai Central Prison.
Iyer also mastered the provisions of Indian Penal Code, Code of Criminal Procedure and the Jail Manual. Aware of every bit of information that could be useful to inmates, he has given other inmates advice on how their cases should be handled and which lawyers to engage. When he was transferred to another jail, Iyer got a Court order to return back to his original prison.
After his release his whereabouts are not known.
My Comments: South Indian Brahmins ( Iyers) are by nature studious, hard working, honest, ritual oriented, who give a lot of importance to kinship. They are goal oriented. Rarely one comes across an Iyer who is a thief or pick-pocket or a goonda. This Iyer must be an exception. But I immensely like him. He has endeared himself both with prison authorities and jail-mates, despite his being an informer to the jail authorities on any plan of inmates for jail break. That this Iyer has become an icon must be due to the attribute of goal oriented I have mentioned above about Iyers. Readers who share my views join me in wishing this person luck and joyous life.
12. BILL BOARDS WITH ‘EYES’ TO FIND TARGET PRACTICE AUDIENCE
A new high Japanese electronic display can instantly identify people's sex or age range and target them with advertisements to suit them.
The 50 inch plasma display will appear at an annual festival in Tokyo run by Fuki Television network.
If the device finds viewers are predominantly female in the 20s, it will show cute miscellaneous items sold by Fuji Television for young women. Changing advertising products in accordance with the viewer would bring advertising closer to the purchaser, according to the Company.
My comments: All of us are fascinated with new innovations. It is only after some time that we find the negative outcomes. But there can be no two opinion that the Japanese are on the top in inventing such gadgets and that is the reason for their being the second richest country, after US of A.
13. THE CRAFTY BURGLAR, WHO TOOK TO BURGLARY TO SUPPORT HIS WIFE’S LUXURIOUS LIFE STYLE.
62 year old Balaraman, is a nimble fingered carpenter. He had atleast 60 burglaries to his credit. He is almost a permanent resident of Central Prison in Chennai where he has spent over 30 years.
More than the number of burglaries, Balaraman stands out for his style. He is not the kind who breaks into a house and snatches what he can. Lazy some may call it, but Balaraman likes to spend five to six hours inside the house being burgled. He does not call it quits, even after the job is done. He raids the kitchen for food.
Balaraman did the burglaries to enable his wife to a have luxurious lifestyle. And as a carpenter Balaraman could not earn enough to meet the wishes of his wife. According to Balaraman after doing two or three burglaries, which would enable his wife in style for some time, he is ready to enter prison.
Balaraman is an excellent carpenter and his talent has been used by prison officials when he was in prison.
My comments: We see such characters only in films. I wish I could meet this fellow in flesh and blood. Could there be any other woman in the earth who is luckier than this gutsy guy’s wife. Here is a character who is willing to go to jail time and again just to make his wife live comfortably ( and happily, I suppose). He has elegance and style. He is not every day burglar who would make haste in removing himself from the scene of crime. Here is a fellow with an attitude. After the burglary he settles down for a meal in the house which he has burgled. I think this guy is an excellent material for a psychological study
13. SPANISH PARLIAMENT TO GRANT SOME HUMAN RIGHTS TO APES
The Spanish Parliament has proposed to take the unprecedented step in according limited human rights to apes. ' The ape will not be arbitrarily deprived of its liberty and hence will not be confined to jail. No more use of apes in circuses, TV ads and experiments.’
Some argue against this proposal: It is a little surprising that Spain known for its bloody bullfights, would become the first country in the world to take such a measure. Then again, what rights do animals have in the wild.
On the other side many feel that apes / gorillas cannot be grouped absolutely with other animals. These creatures are in many respects a specie between human beings and animals and hence they need to be treated more benignly than other animals.
My comments: Man who is the descendant of monkeys/apes, progressed in the management of his life and requirement of food. Then learnt to speak and write. Then he made technological progress. The monkeys and apes are still there where they were when human beings took a different path. Then human beings grouped monkeys/ apes with other animals because they had not progressed and were living like animals. In other words, man had the amnesia of development and forgot his ancestors. Then as research of animals progressed, it was noted that monkeys/apes have certain characteristics which are different from other animals. The latest development is just one step for human beings to revisit his origin and show some kindness to our forefathers or to atone for the sin committed by human beings to their ancestors.
14. FREE ENTERPRISE OF THIEVES
Some time back in Bangladesh thieves had grouped themselves into an Association, one of the functions of which is to offer training courses to new entrants, particularly in picking pockets. The Association was able to enroll within a short time of its formation more than 10,000 members. How could India lag behind Bangladesh. Sometime back Delhi police arrested 11 members of a pick pocket gang, which had specialised in picking mobiles from parked vehicles. The gang was running in corporate style with members ( professionals ) working only on week days and getting wages for their weekly off. They also got paid holidays when they felt like taking a break. Even the work was highly organized and specialized. There was a fixed formula for 'profit sharing.'.
My comments: . Pickpockets and other thieves do wrong. But they now have the gumption to admit that they are doing so. Is that the case with other people who pilfer money from the government, form the people, etc., Common people have an aversion for politicians. Common people are exasperated with babus. Common people dread policemen. The avarice level of businessmen is a known fact. Doctors and lawyers squeeze their clients, irrespective of the fact whether the clients can afford. Collectively they do more harm to common man than the pick pockets. But all of the above groups have their respective associations. Then why not the pick pockets. Yes, their effort of forming an Association is not without merit.
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Bizarre - 3rd instalment
7. FAIR PLAY: MONKEYS, APES HAVE SENSE OF RIGHT AND WRONG.
Monkeys and apes have a sense of morality and the ability to tell right from wrong, according to new research.
In a series of studies scientists have found that monkeys and apes can make judgments about fairness, offer altruistic help and empathize when a fellow animal is ill or in difficulties. They even appear to have conscience and the ability to remember obligations.
The research implies that morality is not a uniquely human quality and may have arisen through evolution. It could mean the strength of our conscience is partly determined by genes.
The scientists say that the evidence is clear. ' I am not arguing that non-human primates are moral beings but there is enough evidence for the following of social rules to agree that some of the stepping stones towards human morality can be found in other animals.' said Frans de Waal, professor of psychology at Emory University in Georgia in the US.
De Wall described experiments on monkeys and apes to see if they understood the idea of fairness. The animals were asked to perform a set of simple tasks and then rewarded with food or affection. De Wall found the animals had an acute sense of fairness and objected strongly when others were rewarded more than themselves for the same task, often sulking and refusing to take part any further.
Another study looked at altruism in chimps - and found they were often willing to help others even when there was no obvious reward. ' Chimpanzees spontaneously help both humans and each other in controlled tests,' said de Waal.
Other researchers, said de Wall, have found the same qualities in capuchin monkeys, which also show ' spontaneous pro-social tendencies,' meaning they are keen to share food and other gifts with other monkeys,
for the pleasure of giving.
My comments: Among the living species, it is only the human beings which is not ashamed of the unfair practices indulged by them. They kill for pleasure ( hunting ), or based on their beliefs ( religious wars ) or their megalomania ( killing to conquer other countries ) or for other reasons, though such reasons do not affect them ( say, capitalism vs communism ). They have been spoiling the environment. And they have been depleting the resources of the earth at an incredible speed, unmindful of future havoc. No animal does so much wanton damage and killing and injury as human beings do.
8. A 21st CENTURY DRAUPADI - DURYODHANA GETS A BASHING
Those who have read their Mahabharata or watched the B R Chopra mega serial will always remember that climatic moment when Yudhishthira loses the wife in a game of dice and a weeping Draupadi is dragged to the gaming hall in the royal palace at Hastinapur where the disrobing of the Pandava’s wife is divinely pre-empted by Krishna.
There was an entirely different twist to the tale some time back on Diwali night in the Kundapura village in the Dhampur tehsil of UP’s Bijnor District when a drunken 28 year old Ram Singh gambled away first his money, then his ring and finally his watch before staking his wife for a sum of Rs. 5,000 and losing her too. When the winner went to Ram Singh’s house to claim the wife, what followed was completely contrary to what Vyasa had scripted. Instead of letting herself be dragged away, Ram Singh’s wife picked up a burning log of wood and used it to beat up the winner who fled in tears to the nearest police station.
The matter did not end even when the cops intervened and the loser borrowed Rs. 5,000 and paid off the winner in cash instead of kind. When Ram Singh returned home, he was severely beaten up by his wife. The thrashing stopped only when Ram Singh begged for forgiveness and wailed that he would never, ever gamble again his life!
Draupadi has come a long way since the Mahabharata! Today’s Draupadi obviously believes that God helps those who help themselves! So much so that today’s Duryodhana has to cower behind the law-enforcing Bhishma to escape retribution. And today’s Yudhishthira has to fall at Draupadi’s feet to be accepted by her. And if Ram Singh reforms, we could even see that traditional proverb being re-adapted to state that ‘ behind every successful man is a woman with a broomstick or a burning log in hand.’ And Kundapura village may have already left Kaliyuga behind and moved into golden age of its own!
My comments: The educated and ritual oriented Indians quote ad nauseum the teachings and actions in the ancient religious texts to justify many of his impious actions. The 20th century Draupadi as in the subject matter has set an example for women who are treated as property of men. The real liberation of this country would take place only when uneducated, non-earning women would oppose their being treated as door mats or property of men. In other words, male chauvinism has to be opposed by not only women but rational men also.
9. KIDS, AGED 6 & 7, TRY TO ELOPE FROM GERMANY TO AFRICA
The two childhood sweethearts eloped from Hanover determined to tie the knot under the African sun. They said that they are very much love and decided to get married in Africa where it is warm, taking with them as a witness another girl aged five. The idea for the romantic trip began when one of them told the other two about her holiday in Italy and how enjoyable the same was. These kids were picked up by police at the railway station and the police officers managed to convince the young lovers that they would struggle to get to Africa without money or a plane ticket.
My comments: With the passage of time, children in some respects are growing very fast, unrelated to calendar years or compared to the position obtained in the past. There are many reasons for this. One is the TV from which children learn what adults can do. Then they get the feeling why not they also imitate. In the instant case, all those read the write up would smile and wish well for the toddlers. Curtain.
10. BOYS BEWARE! SPY GIRLS ARE WATCHING
In Delhi parents of some of the college students are engaging spy girls to keep an eye on their wards. A large number of parents in Delhi are taking help of private detectives to track their children's movements. In most colleges of Delhi, there are girls who work as a campus detective on part-time basis. These girls are trained by the private detectives to carry out their operation secretly. These girl students or detectives get into the group with which their subject hangs around. Any undesirable relationship, drug abuse or alcohol, late night hanging out with friends is traced with the help of these amateur girl detectives. These girl detectives also undergo a training session on how to carry out the spying without revealing any detail.
My comments: Either I am a moron or the story is wrong. Most of the parents with college going sons and daughters are more worried about their daughters than sons. In fact even when the parents come to know about the peccadilloes of their sons, they would shrug it off or give a mild warning to the boy. In Indian society the current belief is that ‘ boys will always be boys’ and they will do things to imitate what grown up men are doing. Parents do not expect them to remain chaste. But when it comes to daughters the approach is quite different. Parents are all the time concerned. Late return to the home from college becomes a serious issue. So also going out or talking on phone with boys. So if not already started, I expect that there would be more boy spies to keep an eye on girls.
Monkeys and apes have a sense of morality and the ability to tell right from wrong, according to new research.
In a series of studies scientists have found that monkeys and apes can make judgments about fairness, offer altruistic help and empathize when a fellow animal is ill or in difficulties. They even appear to have conscience and the ability to remember obligations.
The research implies that morality is not a uniquely human quality and may have arisen through evolution. It could mean the strength of our conscience is partly determined by genes.
The scientists say that the evidence is clear. ' I am not arguing that non-human primates are moral beings but there is enough evidence for the following of social rules to agree that some of the stepping stones towards human morality can be found in other animals.' said Frans de Waal, professor of psychology at Emory University in Georgia in the US.
De Wall described experiments on monkeys and apes to see if they understood the idea of fairness. The animals were asked to perform a set of simple tasks and then rewarded with food or affection. De Wall found the animals had an acute sense of fairness and objected strongly when others were rewarded more than themselves for the same task, often sulking and refusing to take part any further.
Another study looked at altruism in chimps - and found they were often willing to help others even when there was no obvious reward. ' Chimpanzees spontaneously help both humans and each other in controlled tests,' said de Waal.
Other researchers, said de Wall, have found the same qualities in capuchin monkeys, which also show ' spontaneous pro-social tendencies,' meaning they are keen to share food and other gifts with other monkeys,
for the pleasure of giving.
My comments: Among the living species, it is only the human beings which is not ashamed of the unfair practices indulged by them. They kill for pleasure ( hunting ), or based on their beliefs ( religious wars ) or their megalomania ( killing to conquer other countries ) or for other reasons, though such reasons do not affect them ( say, capitalism vs communism ). They have been spoiling the environment. And they have been depleting the resources of the earth at an incredible speed, unmindful of future havoc. No animal does so much wanton damage and killing and injury as human beings do.
8. A 21st CENTURY DRAUPADI - DURYODHANA GETS A BASHING
Those who have read their Mahabharata or watched the B R Chopra mega serial will always remember that climatic moment when Yudhishthira loses the wife in a game of dice and a weeping Draupadi is dragged to the gaming hall in the royal palace at Hastinapur where the disrobing of the Pandava’s wife is divinely pre-empted by Krishna.
There was an entirely different twist to the tale some time back on Diwali night in the Kundapura village in the Dhampur tehsil of UP’s Bijnor District when a drunken 28 year old Ram Singh gambled away first his money, then his ring and finally his watch before staking his wife for a sum of Rs. 5,000 and losing her too. When the winner went to Ram Singh’s house to claim the wife, what followed was completely contrary to what Vyasa had scripted. Instead of letting herself be dragged away, Ram Singh’s wife picked up a burning log of wood and used it to beat up the winner who fled in tears to the nearest police station.
The matter did not end even when the cops intervened and the loser borrowed Rs. 5,000 and paid off the winner in cash instead of kind. When Ram Singh returned home, he was severely beaten up by his wife. The thrashing stopped only when Ram Singh begged for forgiveness and wailed that he would never, ever gamble again his life!
Draupadi has come a long way since the Mahabharata! Today’s Draupadi obviously believes that God helps those who help themselves! So much so that today’s Duryodhana has to cower behind the law-enforcing Bhishma to escape retribution. And today’s Yudhishthira has to fall at Draupadi’s feet to be accepted by her. And if Ram Singh reforms, we could even see that traditional proverb being re-adapted to state that ‘ behind every successful man is a woman with a broomstick or a burning log in hand.’ And Kundapura village may have already left Kaliyuga behind and moved into golden age of its own!
My comments: The educated and ritual oriented Indians quote ad nauseum the teachings and actions in the ancient religious texts to justify many of his impious actions. The 20th century Draupadi as in the subject matter has set an example for women who are treated as property of men. The real liberation of this country would take place only when uneducated, non-earning women would oppose their being treated as door mats or property of men. In other words, male chauvinism has to be opposed by not only women but rational men also.
9. KIDS, AGED 6 & 7, TRY TO ELOPE FROM GERMANY TO AFRICA
The two childhood sweethearts eloped from Hanover determined to tie the knot under the African sun. They said that they are very much love and decided to get married in Africa where it is warm, taking with them as a witness another girl aged five. The idea for the romantic trip began when one of them told the other two about her holiday in Italy and how enjoyable the same was. These kids were picked up by police at the railway station and the police officers managed to convince the young lovers that they would struggle to get to Africa without money or a plane ticket.
My comments: With the passage of time, children in some respects are growing very fast, unrelated to calendar years or compared to the position obtained in the past. There are many reasons for this. One is the TV from which children learn what adults can do. Then they get the feeling why not they also imitate. In the instant case, all those read the write up would smile and wish well for the toddlers. Curtain.
10. BOYS BEWARE! SPY GIRLS ARE WATCHING
In Delhi parents of some of the college students are engaging spy girls to keep an eye on their wards. A large number of parents in Delhi are taking help of private detectives to track their children's movements. In most colleges of Delhi, there are girls who work as a campus detective on part-time basis. These girls are trained by the private detectives to carry out their operation secretly. These girl students or detectives get into the group with which their subject hangs around. Any undesirable relationship, drug abuse or alcohol, late night hanging out with friends is traced with the help of these amateur girl detectives. These girl detectives also undergo a training session on how to carry out the spying without revealing any detail.
My comments: Either I am a moron or the story is wrong. Most of the parents with college going sons and daughters are more worried about their daughters than sons. In fact even when the parents come to know about the peccadilloes of their sons, they would shrug it off or give a mild warning to the boy. In Indian society the current belief is that ‘ boys will always be boys’ and they will do things to imitate what grown up men are doing. Parents do not expect them to remain chaste. But when it comes to daughters the approach is quite different. Parents are all the time concerned. Late return to the home from college becomes a serious issue. So also going out or talking on phone with boys. So if not already started, I expect that there would be more boy spies to keep an eye on girls.
Monday, May 11, 2009
DOES IT MATTER WHICH COALITION OF PARTIES COME TO POWER IN INDIA
Very little.
1. If it is a Congress led coalition, then the Government would continue with its current policies and the track set in, except some nuance change here and there to accommodate the wish lists of coalition partners.
2. If it is a BJP led coalition, then there would be symbolic gestures to appease hard core Hindutva supporters, be it trying to have Uniform Civil Code, relook at financial subsidy for Haj pilgrimage, building of Ram Mandir, early hanging of Afsal Guru and hesitant moves to have a fresh look at Nuclear treaty. Rhetoric against Pakistan may go up. There may be slight shift to have more friendly ties with Israel. To earn brownie points, BJP would alter the course adopted by Congress in this or that area or subject, i.e., matters which would not fall in the ambit of being contentious or momentous. Yes, the rhetoric on the course change would be strident to make the point that BJP is different from that of Congress. That is all. But to a large extent BJP would be hamstrung in making much head way in matters, which are labeled as Hindutva agenda, because of stiff opposition not only from Congress but also from major alliance partners of BJP, apart from the civil society. BJP would also be wary of world opinion in implementing Hindutva agenda too stridently, for example, the curricula in the schools and colleges.
3. Whichever group Communists support would have to function with partially accommodating some of the dictates coming from the left, such as, re-negotiation of Nuclear Treaty, fetters on business, not opening / increasing any more foreign private investment in equity of Indian entities, such as, Insurance, hard-line on America, not opening market for giant retail companies of the world, etc.,
4. But the important point to be noted is that on most of the policy matters, mainly in the economic realm, the course has already been set during the last ten years and deviating from the same would be difficult, whichever coalition is in power.
5. Whether it is the Congress or BJP led alliance which comes to power, demands of alliance partners would be for plum posts in the Government and more largesse from the Centre to the States where they are in power. Alliance partners would exploit the opportunity of being in power at the centre to consolidate their own position in the States where they have good following. The opportunity to improve personal financial position would not be lost sight of by the leaders of alliance partners.
End-note: The tragedy is that whichever group comes to power, the burning issues of the society would continue to receive largely lip sympathy followed by some half hearted measures but not concrete remedial action, though there would be high sounding rhetoric from whichever party in power of measures taken in that direction. And what are the serious issues:
· Naxalite / (internal) terrorist virtually ruling over 60 Districts in the country,
· the intended beneficiaries (poor / unemployed people ) not getting the benefits doled out by the Central Government,
· drinking water problem,
· abysmal medical facilities / most unsatisfactory position in the area of elementary education
· low agricultural yield
· pension for all old people,
· and more importantly, three meals a day for all.
Very little.
1. If it is a Congress led coalition, then the Government would continue with its current policies and the track set in, except some nuance change here and there to accommodate the wish lists of coalition partners.
2. If it is a BJP led coalition, then there would be symbolic gestures to appease hard core Hindutva supporters, be it trying to have Uniform Civil Code, relook at financial subsidy for Haj pilgrimage, building of Ram Mandir, early hanging of Afsal Guru and hesitant moves to have a fresh look at Nuclear treaty. Rhetoric against Pakistan may go up. There may be slight shift to have more friendly ties with Israel. To earn brownie points, BJP would alter the course adopted by Congress in this or that area or subject, i.e., matters which would not fall in the ambit of being contentious or momentous. Yes, the rhetoric on the course change would be strident to make the point that BJP is different from that of Congress. That is all. But to a large extent BJP would be hamstrung in making much head way in matters, which are labeled as Hindutva agenda, because of stiff opposition not only from Congress but also from major alliance partners of BJP, apart from the civil society. BJP would also be wary of world opinion in implementing Hindutva agenda too stridently, for example, the curricula in the schools and colleges.
3. Whichever group Communists support would have to function with partially accommodating some of the dictates coming from the left, such as, re-negotiation of Nuclear Treaty, fetters on business, not opening / increasing any more foreign private investment in equity of Indian entities, such as, Insurance, hard-line on America, not opening market for giant retail companies of the world, etc.,
4. But the important point to be noted is that on most of the policy matters, mainly in the economic realm, the course has already been set during the last ten years and deviating from the same would be difficult, whichever coalition is in power.
5. Whether it is the Congress or BJP led alliance which comes to power, demands of alliance partners would be for plum posts in the Government and more largesse from the Centre to the States where they are in power. Alliance partners would exploit the opportunity of being in power at the centre to consolidate their own position in the States where they have good following. The opportunity to improve personal financial position would not be lost sight of by the leaders of alliance partners.
End-note: The tragedy is that whichever group comes to power, the burning issues of the society would continue to receive largely lip sympathy followed by some half hearted measures but not concrete remedial action, though there would be high sounding rhetoric from whichever party in power of measures taken in that direction. And what are the serious issues:
· Naxalite / (internal) terrorist virtually ruling over 60 Districts in the country,
· the intended beneficiaries (poor / unemployed people ) not getting the benefits doled out by the Central Government,
· drinking water problem,
· abysmal medical facilities / most unsatisfactory position in the area of elementary education
· low agricultural yield
· pension for all old people,
· and more importantly, three meals a day for all.
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Humour
OK to slap spendthrift wife
“ Newspaper Report: A Saudi judge has told a seminar on domestic violence that it is okay for a man to slap his wife for lavish spending, a local newspaper in Saudi Arabia, reported. Juddah judge Hamad al-Razine gave the example of overspending to buy a high-end abaya, as justifying a smack for one’s wife . “
How naïve the judge could be? ‘ Over spending ‘ is not a term in the vocabulary of women. That has been the position since time immemorial or from the time Madame Cleopatra made Caesar and Anthony to dance to her tunes. A man is absolutely satisfied if his wardrobe consists of two dozen shirts / pants / a dozen coats. He would think twice before purchasing new shoes if he has ten good shoes. But in the case of women there is no limit. Affordability is a word applicable to men only. To women, begging/borrowing/stealing ( from husband’s purse ) is not a crime but a legitimate action if the same has been done for shopping. Poor women! They have to score above their best friends in having and also purchasing new dresses. That is not a point of issue for men folk. Fashion designers know well the logic and alchemy of women and that is why they come up with new designs every other day, unlike in the case of men, where a style remains in vogue for considerable time, sometimes even for a few decades. You don’t agree. What change has come to shirts/pants/coats in the matter of design during the last one decade. Zilch.
Silly man would wear the same dress which he likes for a dozen parties and every alternate day to office. But it would be mortifying for a women to be seen in the same dress in a party for atleast a month. For a man, friends and colleagues are not competitors in the matter of dress; contrary to the position applicable to a woman. Her main competition in this area is with her friends and colleagues.
The honourable judge appears to have no clue about the psyche of women. ‘ Sale’ attracts them like bees to honey, irrespective of the number of dresses they have. It is a must for them to keep up with the latest fashion. Man should appreciate, but he does not, that in the case of men fashion does not change eons, whereas it is a weekly, if not daily, occurrence in the case of women.
Women buy new dresses for various reasons: ‘ because others have it, because others do not have it, because it is the latest fashion, because it is affordable ( even if one has to take a loan for the same, i.e., if begging/borrowing/stealing, as mentioned above, are not options available for a number of reasons.’
The honourable judge also appears to have no clue on the psychology of women. If over-spending only invites a smack, many a women would gladly opt for such a minor punishment and go on with over-spending.
“ Newspaper Report: A Saudi judge has told a seminar on domestic violence that it is okay for a man to slap his wife for lavish spending, a local newspaper in Saudi Arabia, reported. Juddah judge Hamad al-Razine gave the example of overspending to buy a high-end abaya, as justifying a smack for one’s wife . “
How naïve the judge could be? ‘ Over spending ‘ is not a term in the vocabulary of women. That has been the position since time immemorial or from the time Madame Cleopatra made Caesar and Anthony to dance to her tunes. A man is absolutely satisfied if his wardrobe consists of two dozen shirts / pants / a dozen coats. He would think twice before purchasing new shoes if he has ten good shoes. But in the case of women there is no limit. Affordability is a word applicable to men only. To women, begging/borrowing/stealing ( from husband’s purse ) is not a crime but a legitimate action if the same has been done for shopping. Poor women! They have to score above their best friends in having and also purchasing new dresses. That is not a point of issue for men folk. Fashion designers know well the logic and alchemy of women and that is why they come up with new designs every other day, unlike in the case of men, where a style remains in vogue for considerable time, sometimes even for a few decades. You don’t agree. What change has come to shirts/pants/coats in the matter of design during the last one decade. Zilch.
Silly man would wear the same dress which he likes for a dozen parties and every alternate day to office. But it would be mortifying for a women to be seen in the same dress in a party for atleast a month. For a man, friends and colleagues are not competitors in the matter of dress; contrary to the position applicable to a woman. Her main competition in this area is with her friends and colleagues.
The honourable judge appears to have no clue about the psyche of women. ‘ Sale’ attracts them like bees to honey, irrespective of the number of dresses they have. It is a must for them to keep up with the latest fashion. Man should appreciate, but he does not, that in the case of men fashion does not change eons, whereas it is a weekly, if not daily, occurrence in the case of women.
Women buy new dresses for various reasons: ‘ because others have it, because others do not have it, because it is the latest fashion, because it is affordable ( even if one has to take a loan for the same, i.e., if begging/borrowing/stealing, as mentioned above, are not options available for a number of reasons.’
The honourable judge also appears to have no clue on the psychology of women. If over-spending only invites a smack, many a women would gladly opt for such a minor punishment and go on with over-spending.
Saturday, May 9, 2009
9th May 09 - News Items and my comments
1. Gimmicks of leading English dailies: Both Times of India and Hindustan Times have claimed that each one of them is No.1 in Delhi. Both have broken the convention followed so far of going by the figures of circulation determined by the Audit Bureau of Circulation ( ABC). Neither of the newspapers have quoted ABC The claims made by these two papers are akin to fourth class students fighting for / claiming to be No. I in the class or athletics. These two newspapers have, vying with each other in publishing scandals, page 3 news items/gossip as matters of national interest, competing with each other in exhibiting Obama-love, reading too much in numbo-jumbo uttered by two bit politicians, etc., have been continuously going down in the esteem of readers. There is increasing yellow journalism in both the papers. And now the blatant claim of being No. in Delhi. Either there is fudging the numbers or the methodology adopted by one of them to determine the circulation position is circumspect.
2. Ragging bullies in colleges should see a shrink - that is the advice of the Supreme Court: The Court desired that colleges should take de-addiction measures for students hooked to alcohol and drugs. The directions of the Court were based on the recommendations of a panel of experts appointed by the Supreme Court to look into the matter. According to the Panel, alcoholism in the campus was the main reason behind serious ragging and violence. Yes, ragging is becoming a menace in campuses. Yet one wonders whether the recommendation made by the Panel/Court is practical. There has to be consent of the student, if he is major, and that of both the student and parents, if the student is minor, before the student is asked to under go de-addictional treatment or go to a shrink. Will the student and parents agree to the same. Then again the causes of ragging are varied, such as, fun, macho behaviour, one-upmanship among the other students, provocation of girls not properly attired, improper upbringing in the home, etc., Many of those who indulge in ragging may not be taking alcohol or drugs. From this perspective, the cure suggested does not take into account the totality of the problem.
3. British Hindus loses fight for open –air funeral pyre: The demand/request was considered by court. European Convention of Human rights was quoted. The petitioner stated that for a Hindu a pyre was essential to ‘ a good death and release of his spirit into the afterlife.’ Further, he felt that ‘natural cremation grounds would not offend public decency – as long as they were discreet, designated sites far from urban and residential areas.’ Justice Secretary of the UK Government took the position that ‘ people might get upset and offended by pyres and find it abhorrent that human remains were being burned in this way. It was a difficult and sensitive issue and the court must respect the conclusion of elected representatives.’
Occasionally one hears of such incidents, i.e., Indians who had gone and settled in other countries demanding that they perform religious rites or dress as if they were back in their homeland. Such an approach cannot be supported. For one thing, it alienates the people of the foreign country. More such incidents, then there would be demand to restrict inflow of such people. And lastly, how would Indians in the home land feel if nationals of another country settled/working in India want to conduct some rites according to the system they were following in their countries, which are not acceptable to Indians. And dress in the public as they please. Will we not make a hue and cry. The point is that since we are entering into a period of globalization with more and more people from this or that country living in other countries for long periods of time, none should try to upset the apple-cart of the host country, since we all want to follow the credo of ‘ live and let live.’
4. In China, pictures of executions of corrupt officials, leads to public call for more such executions : The pictures showed a corrupt official ( a woman ) is dragged from a lorry to the execution ground, made to kneel in the snow and then shot in the head. However, rather than eliciting sympathy, the 30 year old pictures have prompted calls for more executions of corrupt officials in modern China. The fact is that be it India or USA or China, the affected public would like to have the blood of corrupt officials spilled in the streets. Would the corrupt officials in India take note.
5. Germany bans very long names: Frieda Rosemarie Thalheim, the bride wanted to take the last name of her groom, Hans Peter Kunz-Hallstein, making her name probably one of the longest in the modern world. This happened in Germany. Germany takes a highly regimented approach to naming. Children’s names must be approved by local authorities, and there is a reference work, the International Handbook of Forenames, to guide them. Since names of many Germans and are long and with addition of the last name of the husbands make the names of ladies still long, in 1993 a rule was promulgated limiting the names of married people to a single hyphen and two last names. In the instant case the couple appealed to the higher court but lost in a split verdict.
The full names of people of some countries in this blessed world are very difficult for people of other countries to remember or pronounce. In India this is the case with some of the South Indian names. The position in North is quite O.K. Kamal Sharma or Kartar Singh is not difficult to remember or pronounce. But think of a Kerala name like Bhoothathan Kettil Thashevittil Kunhirama Panicker. To make the matters complicated, Government of India had long back stipulated that in certain documents pertaining to individual, full name should be mentioned. Let us copy Germany.
2. Ragging bullies in colleges should see a shrink - that is the advice of the Supreme Court: The Court desired that colleges should take de-addiction measures for students hooked to alcohol and drugs. The directions of the Court were based on the recommendations of a panel of experts appointed by the Supreme Court to look into the matter. According to the Panel, alcoholism in the campus was the main reason behind serious ragging and violence. Yes, ragging is becoming a menace in campuses. Yet one wonders whether the recommendation made by the Panel/Court is practical. There has to be consent of the student, if he is major, and that of both the student and parents, if the student is minor, before the student is asked to under go de-addictional treatment or go to a shrink. Will the student and parents agree to the same. Then again the causes of ragging are varied, such as, fun, macho behaviour, one-upmanship among the other students, provocation of girls not properly attired, improper upbringing in the home, etc., Many of those who indulge in ragging may not be taking alcohol or drugs. From this perspective, the cure suggested does not take into account the totality of the problem.
3. British Hindus loses fight for open –air funeral pyre: The demand/request was considered by court. European Convention of Human rights was quoted. The petitioner stated that for a Hindu a pyre was essential to ‘ a good death and release of his spirit into the afterlife.’ Further, he felt that ‘natural cremation grounds would not offend public decency – as long as they were discreet, designated sites far from urban and residential areas.’ Justice Secretary of the UK Government took the position that ‘ people might get upset and offended by pyres and find it abhorrent that human remains were being burned in this way. It was a difficult and sensitive issue and the court must respect the conclusion of elected representatives.’
Occasionally one hears of such incidents, i.e., Indians who had gone and settled in other countries demanding that they perform religious rites or dress as if they were back in their homeland. Such an approach cannot be supported. For one thing, it alienates the people of the foreign country. More such incidents, then there would be demand to restrict inflow of such people. And lastly, how would Indians in the home land feel if nationals of another country settled/working in India want to conduct some rites according to the system they were following in their countries, which are not acceptable to Indians. And dress in the public as they please. Will we not make a hue and cry. The point is that since we are entering into a period of globalization with more and more people from this or that country living in other countries for long periods of time, none should try to upset the apple-cart of the host country, since we all want to follow the credo of ‘ live and let live.’
4. In China, pictures of executions of corrupt officials, leads to public call for more such executions : The pictures showed a corrupt official ( a woman ) is dragged from a lorry to the execution ground, made to kneel in the snow and then shot in the head. However, rather than eliciting sympathy, the 30 year old pictures have prompted calls for more executions of corrupt officials in modern China. The fact is that be it India or USA or China, the affected public would like to have the blood of corrupt officials spilled in the streets. Would the corrupt officials in India take note.
5. Germany bans very long names: Frieda Rosemarie Thalheim, the bride wanted to take the last name of her groom, Hans Peter Kunz-Hallstein, making her name probably one of the longest in the modern world. This happened in Germany. Germany takes a highly regimented approach to naming. Children’s names must be approved by local authorities, and there is a reference work, the International Handbook of Forenames, to guide them. Since names of many Germans and are long and with addition of the last name of the husbands make the names of ladies still long, in 1993 a rule was promulgated limiting the names of married people to a single hyphen and two last names. In the instant case the couple appealed to the higher court but lost in a split verdict.
The full names of people of some countries in this blessed world are very difficult for people of other countries to remember or pronounce. In India this is the case with some of the South Indian names. The position in North is quite O.K. Kamal Sharma or Kartar Singh is not difficult to remember or pronounce. But think of a Kerala name like Bhoothathan Kettil Thashevittil Kunhirama Panicker. To make the matters complicated, Government of India had long back stipulated that in certain documents pertaining to individual, full name should be mentioned. Let us copy Germany.
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Bizarre - IInd instalment
3. THE CHIMPANZEE REBELS AT HUMAN BEINGS.
“Stockholm: A canny chimpanzee who calmly collected a stash of rocks and then hurled them at zoo visitors in fits of rage has confirmed that apes can plan ahead just like humans. The male chimpanzee started building his weapons cache in the morning before the zoo opened, collecting the rocks and knocking out disks from concrete bounders inside his enclosure. He waited until around midday before he unleashed a ‘ hailstorm’ of rocks against visitors.”
My comments: ABOLISH ZOOS - who says so - me - loud and clear. I wish other animals in zoos would emulate this fine and laudatory example making it a hazardous for visitors to go to zoos and ape at apes and other animals. The lions could burst out roaring and gorillas could do menacing chest thumping and other animals could do what they can to really scare visitors to the zoo. In brief, humans should be scared of going to zoos.
Zoos are an anachronism in this era of better understanding of human beings on the planet not being just a fiefdom of humans alone. Flora and fauna are part of the mother earth. They have also a right on this earth. We humans have no business to put the animals in cages, especially so, as by nature animals like to wander. Zoo cannot be a habitat for these animals.
4. TELECASTING IN TV VOLUNTARY DEATH, i.e., IN A WAY EUTHENASIA.
Jade Goody was afflicted with incurable disease, probably cancer. Doctors said there is no cure. Hence Jade Goody wanted to die. So far O.K. There are millions like that. But then there is a strange twist. Jade Goody wanted to telecast her death and a TV channel agreed to do it.
My comments: ' Morality and decency of TV programmes have reached the level of utter nadir with this development. TV managements have all the arguments: Jade Goody wanted it. There is no proscribing such a programme. If violence and pornography can be shown in TV, why not euthenesia. Curiosity would have taken the viewership to exceedingly higher level with this programme. And TVs are all the time looking for viewership, i.e., TRP. In brief or coldly stated it is all commercial motive. TVs will argue that if you don't like it you are at liberty to change the channel. Most of the viewers are adults and they know what they should watch, so would be the argument of TV guys. Partly it is wrong. Children in large numbers watch TV. And in this particular case, curiosity would prompt many a youngster not to miss the programme. Even in the case of adults, watching programmes would affect their psyche, in the sense they would become less and less immune to violence and macabre.
In other words, what TV is saying that ' you leave everything to markets and let it decide. Ethical standards be damned. Censorship is an outmoded concept. There are other much worse corrupting influences in the world. Why only pick on this aspect.’
But is it civilized to telecast the same. Most people would say an emphatic NO. Should not the media respect that NO also.
5. HOUSEWIVES SEEK SALARY FOR MANAGING HOUSEHOLS:
A group of women in Wynad District of Kerala has floated a body to organise the ' voiceless and wageless women.' Its main demand is to introduce wages for women's toil in kitchen and other domestic chores. Kerala is noted for forming bizarre Associations. There is one for toddy drinkers. With football being a craze in Kerala, there are Argentenaian and Brazilian football Associations.
According to a member of the newly formed 'housewives' union ' while managing a household, on an average woman works at least five hours more than her male counterpart daily. Besides, her silent work helps men contribute more. His efficiency and production level is perked up. Some prominent women libbers in Kerala have given their support to this move. At the moment men-folk are looking at this development with derision. They think that it is a passing fancy.
My comments: These women are wrong. For one thing, while men spend lot of time in office, in actuality many do not work most of the time. Smoking, gossiping, visiting canteen, phoning buddies, ogling better looking female colleagues, doing some side business, etc., take an enormous amount of time during office hours. Of course when they go back home they put on a haggard and tired look, primarily to impress the wifies that they had a hard time. And to the wife they wail at the villainous character of the boss, double speaking colleagues, backstabbing associates in the office and then conclude by saying that they have to work under such extreme pressures. But then over a period of time, the stories have become stale and now most of the wifies are apt to find holes in the stories of bemoaning of hubbys.
At the same time wifies spend very little time in homely work. With packaged food, electronic gadgets making house hold chores somewhat comfortable and easy to perform, wifies spend most of the time in front of TVs or gossiping on cellphone with other wifies. But they also give a harassed look when the hubbies come back from office. Mutual charade!
6. PATHETIC CRY OF HUSBANDS HARASSED BY WIVES
If you are a husband or going to tie the knot soon, do not vote for Congress, comes the advice from 'Save Indian Family Foundation.' It is a group purportedly formed by husbands harassed by ' pro-women laws' like those against dowry and domestic violence. The Foundation even plans to field a candidate. Their slogan - 'Justice for Husbands.'
The group accuses the Congress party of creating rift between husbands and wives to increase its vote bank. ' Congress plays vote bank politics by dividing husbands and wives. In its regime, one lakh husbands were harassed by wives,' says Swarup Sarkar, Secretary of the Foundation, who claimed he got this data ' through RTI.'
Sarkar and his Foundation have already kicked of a full-fledged campaign, sending SMSes,e-mails, distributing pamphlets and pasting posters across the country to appeal to husbands to not vote for the Congress party. ' Do you know if your wife demands 1000 rupees for her kitty party and you give only 800 rupees, it is a crime by you as per law and who made such law? Congress,.' reads one of their pamphlets. But the Foundation has just one fear - according to its own research, 70% of the harassed men are associated with the party they are raising the war cry are actually against it. ' But I think it is out of personal compulsion, ' said Sarkar.
The Foundation alleges the government has overlooked its demand for a check on the misuse of dowry and domestic violence laws. Sarkar also claimed that over 56,000 suicide cases involving married men were because of harassment by wives.
My comments: My vote is to Sarkar. This is not for the reasons given by him but as a counter to the ascent of women lib movement, which is also making similar bewildering arguments against men. There is a role for man and another for women in the society. Now the feminists want women to encroach on the area for millennia reserved by convention for men. Feminists think that females by wearing pants and cutting hair will make them equal to men.
“Stockholm: A canny chimpanzee who calmly collected a stash of rocks and then hurled them at zoo visitors in fits of rage has confirmed that apes can plan ahead just like humans. The male chimpanzee started building his weapons cache in the morning before the zoo opened, collecting the rocks and knocking out disks from concrete bounders inside his enclosure. He waited until around midday before he unleashed a ‘ hailstorm’ of rocks against visitors.”
My comments: ABOLISH ZOOS - who says so - me - loud and clear. I wish other animals in zoos would emulate this fine and laudatory example making it a hazardous for visitors to go to zoos and ape at apes and other animals. The lions could burst out roaring and gorillas could do menacing chest thumping and other animals could do what they can to really scare visitors to the zoo. In brief, humans should be scared of going to zoos.
Zoos are an anachronism in this era of better understanding of human beings on the planet not being just a fiefdom of humans alone. Flora and fauna are part of the mother earth. They have also a right on this earth. We humans have no business to put the animals in cages, especially so, as by nature animals like to wander. Zoo cannot be a habitat for these animals.
4. TELECASTING IN TV VOLUNTARY DEATH, i.e., IN A WAY EUTHENASIA.
Jade Goody was afflicted with incurable disease, probably cancer. Doctors said there is no cure. Hence Jade Goody wanted to die. So far O.K. There are millions like that. But then there is a strange twist. Jade Goody wanted to telecast her death and a TV channel agreed to do it.
My comments: ' Morality and decency of TV programmes have reached the level of utter nadir with this development. TV managements have all the arguments: Jade Goody wanted it. There is no proscribing such a programme. If violence and pornography can be shown in TV, why not euthenesia. Curiosity would have taken the viewership to exceedingly higher level with this programme. And TVs are all the time looking for viewership, i.e., TRP. In brief or coldly stated it is all commercial motive. TVs will argue that if you don't like it you are at liberty to change the channel. Most of the viewers are adults and they know what they should watch, so would be the argument of TV guys. Partly it is wrong. Children in large numbers watch TV. And in this particular case, curiosity would prompt many a youngster not to miss the programme. Even in the case of adults, watching programmes would affect their psyche, in the sense they would become less and less immune to violence and macabre.
In other words, what TV is saying that ' you leave everything to markets and let it decide. Ethical standards be damned. Censorship is an outmoded concept. There are other much worse corrupting influences in the world. Why only pick on this aspect.’
But is it civilized to telecast the same. Most people would say an emphatic NO. Should not the media respect that NO also.
5. HOUSEWIVES SEEK SALARY FOR MANAGING HOUSEHOLS:
A group of women in Wynad District of Kerala has floated a body to organise the ' voiceless and wageless women.' Its main demand is to introduce wages for women's toil in kitchen and other domestic chores. Kerala is noted for forming bizarre Associations. There is one for toddy drinkers. With football being a craze in Kerala, there are Argentenaian and Brazilian football Associations.
According to a member of the newly formed 'housewives' union ' while managing a household, on an average woman works at least five hours more than her male counterpart daily. Besides, her silent work helps men contribute more. His efficiency and production level is perked up. Some prominent women libbers in Kerala have given their support to this move. At the moment men-folk are looking at this development with derision. They think that it is a passing fancy.
My comments: These women are wrong. For one thing, while men spend lot of time in office, in actuality many do not work most of the time. Smoking, gossiping, visiting canteen, phoning buddies, ogling better looking female colleagues, doing some side business, etc., take an enormous amount of time during office hours. Of course when they go back home they put on a haggard and tired look, primarily to impress the wifies that they had a hard time. And to the wife they wail at the villainous character of the boss, double speaking colleagues, backstabbing associates in the office and then conclude by saying that they have to work under such extreme pressures. But then over a period of time, the stories have become stale and now most of the wifies are apt to find holes in the stories of bemoaning of hubbys.
At the same time wifies spend very little time in homely work. With packaged food, electronic gadgets making house hold chores somewhat comfortable and easy to perform, wifies spend most of the time in front of TVs or gossiping on cellphone with other wifies. But they also give a harassed look when the hubbies come back from office. Mutual charade!
6. PATHETIC CRY OF HUSBANDS HARASSED BY WIVES
If you are a husband or going to tie the knot soon, do not vote for Congress, comes the advice from 'Save Indian Family Foundation.' It is a group purportedly formed by husbands harassed by ' pro-women laws' like those against dowry and domestic violence. The Foundation even plans to field a candidate. Their slogan - 'Justice for Husbands.'
The group accuses the Congress party of creating rift between husbands and wives to increase its vote bank. ' Congress plays vote bank politics by dividing husbands and wives. In its regime, one lakh husbands were harassed by wives,' says Swarup Sarkar, Secretary of the Foundation, who claimed he got this data ' through RTI.'
Sarkar and his Foundation have already kicked of a full-fledged campaign, sending SMSes,e-mails, distributing pamphlets and pasting posters across the country to appeal to husbands to not vote for the Congress party. ' Do you know if your wife demands 1000 rupees for her kitty party and you give only 800 rupees, it is a crime by you as per law and who made such law? Congress,.' reads one of their pamphlets. But the Foundation has just one fear - according to its own research, 70% of the harassed men are associated with the party they are raising the war cry are actually against it. ' But I think it is out of personal compulsion, ' said Sarkar.
The Foundation alleges the government has overlooked its demand for a check on the misuse of dowry and domestic violence laws. Sarkar also claimed that over 56,000 suicide cases involving married men were because of harassment by wives.
My comments: My vote is to Sarkar. This is not for the reasons given by him but as a counter to the ascent of women lib movement, which is also making similar bewildering arguments against men. There is a role for man and another for women in the society. Now the feminists want women to encroach on the area for millennia reserved by convention for men. Feminists think that females by wearing pants and cutting hair will make them equal to men.
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
NATIONAL ELECTIONS – A CONTRARY PERSPECTIVE
During the last few months the subject matter has been projected, discussed, debated, written about ad nausea. The print and visual media had gone hammer and tongs in analyzing, pontificating and interviewing experts and sundry on the matter. The fatigue level has been going up. Can we look at the subject from a differing perspective:
1. It would not make much difference to the citizens, various institutions, to the management of the economy or foreign policy, whether it is Congress or BJP led coalition comes to power. Over a period of time emphasis on governance is focused on detail, rather than on substance. The manifestos and rhetoric leading to election is in essence for the votes and not so much for governance. The country is in essence on auto pilot in the management of economy. The style of functioning a new Government, i.e., if an alliance other that led by Congress comes to power, may differ and so also the faces who would be in charge from the existing one.
2. Allies of BJP would not allow BJP to focus on Hindutva agenda in governance and hence BJP may have to do a balancing act. For example, BJP may, largely to satisfy its own constituents, make hesitant moves on Uniform Civil Code, largesse given to Muslim community by Government for pilgrimage to Mecca, building a new Ram Temple at the Babri Masjid cite, take some initiative on getting to India Black money stashed by Indians in other countries and give a new look at the Nuclear agreement to suggest minor alterations, so that the party keeps up its election promise. BJP will be on tenterhooks on acceding to the demands of RSS in backseat driving.
3. Communists will oppose any move of the new Government for allowing higher equity level to foreign investors or to further liberalise the economic management or privatizing Government controlled bodies. They will also push for abrogation of the Nuclear Treaty, though they know that nothing would come out of such objection.
4. Other parties aligning with either Congress or BJP would ask for their pound of flesh in terms of portfolios for their Ministers in the Union Government and seek more projects and funding for the States they essentially represent.
5. Need for alliance with other parties and pressure groups within the two major parties could result in some of the major Government Ministries being manned either by obscurantist persons ( as was the position in the last two Governments in the Human Resource Development Ministry ) or inefficient people ( as was the case in respect of Home Ministry in nHo Home H Home Ministry for a long time in the outgoing Government ) or corrupt persons.
6. Viewed in the above perspective, the antics of fourth estate, both print and visual, during the last few months on the subject matter is laughable and shows considerable immaturity. They have made the election a ‘do or die’ issue. To page 3 celebrities and cine artists, who thought that their exhortation to citizens to vote would fructify, the public gave a resounding reply ‘ you mind your business, we will do ours.’
7. 40 or 45% voting is equated with calamity. Convert this 40 or 45% in terms of numbers and compare the same with the number of votes cast in elections in many other countries. We have a huge population. 70 crore eligible voters for electing over 500 MPs. There are countries with 5 to 10 crore population. Even if the voting in those countries is 70% or 80%, in respect of numbers the same would be very small compared to the number of votes cast in India.
8. In some countries it is mandatory to vote. There are yet other countries where fine is imposed for not voting. So some wise guys have suggested that we should emulate such fine examples (!) without realizing that it is impractical and there is no need to consider such suggestions, whether the same have emanated from the Prime Minister in waiting or not.
9. Then there is the ludicrous suggestion that the leaders of the two major parties should debate publicly the stand of his party on various major issues – a la Americano. For quite some time both visual and print media ( English ) and page 3 people, have become unabashed admirers of American systems and suggestions are made to copy the same, with amnesia covering up their Indian-ness and also the ground level position in India.
10. The visual and print media ( English ) are out of tune with the realities of the country-side. Issues which the media thinks are of paramount importance to the country, are not the ones that agitate the village folk. To quote one example, for city fellows caste is skin deep only, whereas for villagers caste is a 24 hour reality in all aspects of their lives.
11. Ultimately, the point is not whether BJP has assured rice/wheat at Rs. 2 per kilo as against Congress’s promise of Rs. 3 per kilo to poor, but how far the party coming to power would really be able to implement at ground level programmes meant for eradicating poverty, assured number of days of employment, drinking water, schooling and medical attention to needy and that too actually at the ground level and not in paper.
********
1. It would not make much difference to the citizens, various institutions, to the management of the economy or foreign policy, whether it is Congress or BJP led coalition comes to power. Over a period of time emphasis on governance is focused on detail, rather than on substance. The manifestos and rhetoric leading to election is in essence for the votes and not so much for governance. The country is in essence on auto pilot in the management of economy. The style of functioning a new Government, i.e., if an alliance other that led by Congress comes to power, may differ and so also the faces who would be in charge from the existing one.
2. Allies of BJP would not allow BJP to focus on Hindutva agenda in governance and hence BJP may have to do a balancing act. For example, BJP may, largely to satisfy its own constituents, make hesitant moves on Uniform Civil Code, largesse given to Muslim community by Government for pilgrimage to Mecca, building a new Ram Temple at the Babri Masjid cite, take some initiative on getting to India Black money stashed by Indians in other countries and give a new look at the Nuclear agreement to suggest minor alterations, so that the party keeps up its election promise. BJP will be on tenterhooks on acceding to the demands of RSS in backseat driving.
3. Communists will oppose any move of the new Government for allowing higher equity level to foreign investors or to further liberalise the economic management or privatizing Government controlled bodies. They will also push for abrogation of the Nuclear Treaty, though they know that nothing would come out of such objection.
4. Other parties aligning with either Congress or BJP would ask for their pound of flesh in terms of portfolios for their Ministers in the Union Government and seek more projects and funding for the States they essentially represent.
5. Need for alliance with other parties and pressure groups within the two major parties could result in some of the major Government Ministries being manned either by obscurantist persons ( as was the position in the last two Governments in the Human Resource Development Ministry ) or inefficient people ( as was the case in respect of Home Ministry in nHo Home H Home Ministry for a long time in the outgoing Government ) or corrupt persons.
6. Viewed in the above perspective, the antics of fourth estate, both print and visual, during the last few months on the subject matter is laughable and shows considerable immaturity. They have made the election a ‘do or die’ issue. To page 3 celebrities and cine artists, who thought that their exhortation to citizens to vote would fructify, the public gave a resounding reply ‘ you mind your business, we will do ours.’
7. 40 or 45% voting is equated with calamity. Convert this 40 or 45% in terms of numbers and compare the same with the number of votes cast in elections in many other countries. We have a huge population. 70 crore eligible voters for electing over 500 MPs. There are countries with 5 to 10 crore population. Even if the voting in those countries is 70% or 80%, in respect of numbers the same would be very small compared to the number of votes cast in India.
8. In some countries it is mandatory to vote. There are yet other countries where fine is imposed for not voting. So some wise guys have suggested that we should emulate such fine examples (!) without realizing that it is impractical and there is no need to consider such suggestions, whether the same have emanated from the Prime Minister in waiting or not.
9. Then there is the ludicrous suggestion that the leaders of the two major parties should debate publicly the stand of his party on various major issues – a la Americano. For quite some time both visual and print media ( English ) and page 3 people, have become unabashed admirers of American systems and suggestions are made to copy the same, with amnesia covering up their Indian-ness and also the ground level position in India.
10. The visual and print media ( English ) are out of tune with the realities of the country-side. Issues which the media thinks are of paramount importance to the country, are not the ones that agitate the village folk. To quote one example, for city fellows caste is skin deep only, whereas for villagers caste is a 24 hour reality in all aspects of their lives.
11. Ultimately, the point is not whether BJP has assured rice/wheat at Rs. 2 per kilo as against Congress’s promise of Rs. 3 per kilo to poor, but how far the party coming to power would really be able to implement at ground level programmes meant for eradicating poverty, assured number of days of employment, drinking water, schooling and medical attention to needy and that too actually at the ground level and not in paper.
********
Saturday, May 2, 2009
BIZARRE* & WEIRD+ - Instalment I
OUR WORLD HAS ALWAYS BEEN LIKE THAT - AND IT CONTINUES TO BE SO
* eccentric, grotesque
+ strange, incomprehensible
(With the advent of newspapers/magazines/ TV/internet/websites, news of such behaviour and incidents reach everywhere, unlike in the earlier period when information spread was localized).
This write up is not confined to Bizarre & Weird incidents and behaviour of human beings. It looks at some of the present world tricksters. Unusual happenings, traditions colliding with modern concepts/beliefs, actions which go against established norms and twists in anecdotes, animal behaviour, etc., form part of it.
( I still vividly remember the central theme of some of the incidents in this genre ( unbelievable yet true ) which happened in the distant past, though my memory fails in recalling the details. A few of these are:
1. A clever guy sold Manhatten Island in USA to greedy estate agents. Of course the trickster had to spend months in planning his operation. He had to gain confidence of the estate agents. He had to ensure that the estate agents whom he approached would not tip off Government on the proposal. He had to visualize their questions and apprehensions and answer / clear the same.
2. There was yet another guy who sold to greedy rich people Eiffel Tower in Paris, and, presto, not once but twice, with an intervening period of ten years or so. It is his greediness and self confidence which made him to repeat the scam. He had to work for over two years in planning the details, gaining the confidence of buyers. The second time he was caught by authorities.
3. Two tricksters decided to hoodwink people of a county with the assurance that they have found diamond mines just 20 miles from the township. They came to a country, stayed in a lodge, kept aloof from local people, went out each morning on their horses with empty sacks and came back in the evening with half full sacks. In about a fortnight the curiosity level of the local folk on their activities reached the zenith. They tried to befriend the two guys. After a lot of persuasion, they reluctantly revealed the secret. They showed the people the rough diamonds they have been able to get after digging the area they had located. Now a number of people in the county wanted to partake in this venture. After a lot of persuasion two tricksters agreed to take them to the place where the diamond mine was located. After seeing the rough diamonds the people were convinced. The two people floated a company, the shares of which were bought by the people from the county. And one night both the tricksters fled with the money and rough diamonds.
After some time two geologists happened to visit the county and when they were told of the above episode they became skeptical as according to them there cannot any diamond mine in that place or its vicinity. The geologists were taken to the place where diamonds were found. Since the geologists were extremely skeptical they made a thorough search and then they found one diamond in the bush and another polished diamond. It later transpired that the two tricksters have been buying rough diamonds from various parts of the world for executing the scam. One of the investor from the county after a long search traced one of the tricksters and shot him dead. The other one was not found.
4. Spy catching is an extremely difficult task, since the spies are experts in their field and are extremely careful. Much more difficult is to extract from them admission that they are indeed spies. Two such real incidents happened in Britain during the Second World War are enumerated below:
· A young lady was brought to the spy-catcher by the police who thought that she was a spy. She had a story of fleeing from her place, which was likely to be taken over by the enemies, and walking over 100 miles to the safety of London. The spy catcher interrogated her for hours but could not find even an iota of flaw in her story to suspect her. Yet his sixth sense told him that she was a spy. After interrogation one day, fed up with lack of progress in the matter, the spy catcher walked out of the room in a terrible mood. In the verandah without his being fully aware, he kicked a concrete flower pot and cursed. For a moment he felt excruciating pain in the leg. Suddenly an idea occurred to him and he went back to the woman and asked her to remove her shoes and stockings. She complied. He found no blisters in the feet. The skin was extremely smooth. Then he confronted her with this evidence. How was it that there are no blisters in the feet when she had claimed that she walked over 100 miles. And then she admitted that she was a spy.
· A German was caught by the Police and interrogated him for hours and hours. But they could not break his story. The interrogator also tried his best without any success. Then he had an idea. He hung a picture of Adolph Hitler on the wall and the suspect was made to sit in a chair facing the photo. Then the interrogator picked up a few arrows and started throwing the arrows at the picture of Hitler. But whenever the arrow found the mark, he loudly cursed Hitler. He used various taunting expletives at Hitler, such as, ‘ Got you buster, next time it is the firing squad, your hangman is ready, etc., ‘ After some time the prisoner jumped from his seat and shouted, ‘ Hail Hitler. He will destroy England. All of you will be killed. You can only pierce his eyes in the photo. He is an Aryan. And so am I.’ End story.
5. Two thieves broke into a posh house in the night when the occupants were away. They packed all that they wanted to steal. Then their eyes fell on the bar of the owner of the house, full of expensive liquors. The thieves thought that they will have a peg or two of finest whisky and then scam with their loot. The whisky was so divine and one peg to another peg continued for too long that they fell asleep. And they were caught.
6. Two thieves wanted to break into a posh house for stealing valuables. They had earlier observed that the main door was made of thick wood. Breaking it was not possible. They were also not adept in picking door locks. So they attached a dynamite on the door knob and blew it. The sound brought the neighbours and police and the thieves were arrested. Then the police told the thieves that the owners of the house had forgotten to lock the door and if only they had twisted the handle and pushed the door, they would have got easy entry to the house.
End old incidents. Now let us look into the present day anecdotes and tricksters.
*******
1. IN A FIRST, A NUDIST-ONLY HOTEL TO OPEN IN GERMANY
In what is claimed to be probably the world's first, a nudist-only hotel is all set to open in Germany.
Yes, you have heard it right. All the hotel guests will be required to leave their clothes at the reception while checking in and must be naked at all times when on the premises - ' or they will be required to leave.' the Daily Telegraph reported.
' We hope to open as soon as possible. It will be the first comprehensively nudist hotel in Germany,' a staff member of the planned Hotel rosen-garten, Silvia Probsthain said.
The hotel rules state that all guests must put towels on chairs and lounges before using them, that there would be no sexual harassment and that all sexual activity in ' commonly accessible rooms' is strictly forbidden.
Nude hiking is proving increasingly popular in Germany and two villages plan to mark special forest hiking routes for naked ramblers. The practice is frowned on in neighbouring Switzerland, however, where authorities plan to fine such behaviour.
My comments: Eons back, i.e., for millions and millions of years human beings lived with their birthday suites. Then they started draping certain parts of the body, either out of shame or to exhibit modernity or for reasons we cannot fathom after all the time that has gone by. As time went by human beings started covering their body more and more. Then in some places started the reverse trend, i.e., discarding one by one garments or shortening the size of the garments. And then the next stage happened of having nudist colonies. The recent development is short of culmination of the last chapter, i.e., man back in his birth suite all the time. It is too early to say what is there in store out of the latest development. A wag said that ' neckline has been coming down with passage of time and hemline has been going up. The question is will they meet. ‘
2. MODEL-BOXER BANNED FROM RING OVER FAKE BREASTS
Model Sarah Blewden is the first Briton to be banned from competing as an amateur boxer because of her breast implants.
Boxing chiefs barred Sarah, 25, after being warned that repeated blows could damage breast tissue. The fighter, who hoped to compete in the 2012 Olympics, had a boob operation in 2003 taking her from a 32B to 32C.
Sarah, who runs a hair salon, only turned to boxing two years ago to keep fit. But she had talent and was stunned when the Amateur Boxing Association refused her permission to compete. Medics insisted her boobs were at risk of contraction or distortion if hit. Cells in tissue pushed forward by the implants could also be harmed.
Sarah, of Poole, Dorset, said: ' It is ridiculous. My surgeon said they make me no more vulnerable than any woman. They are not enormous and they are gel so won't burst.' She asked to wear a breast protector, but she was told it might not work.
ABA's Tony Atwood said: ' International rules forbid anyone with breast implants continuing to box.'
My comments: It started with Olympics and various athlete meets and probably in boxing, i.e., participants taking drugs and other substances to artificially enhance their performance. Agreed, the current story is not exactly in the same league. In the times to come various ingenious methods would be tried by sportsmen and women and artists to out perform others. There would be tricky situations. International agreements would have to be worked out.
* eccentric, grotesque
+ strange, incomprehensible
(With the advent of newspapers/magazines/ TV/internet/websites, news of such behaviour and incidents reach everywhere, unlike in the earlier period when information spread was localized).
This write up is not confined to Bizarre & Weird incidents and behaviour of human beings. It looks at some of the present world tricksters. Unusual happenings, traditions colliding with modern concepts/beliefs, actions which go against established norms and twists in anecdotes, animal behaviour, etc., form part of it.
( I still vividly remember the central theme of some of the incidents in this genre ( unbelievable yet true ) which happened in the distant past, though my memory fails in recalling the details. A few of these are:
1. A clever guy sold Manhatten Island in USA to greedy estate agents. Of course the trickster had to spend months in planning his operation. He had to gain confidence of the estate agents. He had to ensure that the estate agents whom he approached would not tip off Government on the proposal. He had to visualize their questions and apprehensions and answer / clear the same.
2. There was yet another guy who sold to greedy rich people Eiffel Tower in Paris, and, presto, not once but twice, with an intervening period of ten years or so. It is his greediness and self confidence which made him to repeat the scam. He had to work for over two years in planning the details, gaining the confidence of buyers. The second time he was caught by authorities.
3. Two tricksters decided to hoodwink people of a county with the assurance that they have found diamond mines just 20 miles from the township. They came to a country, stayed in a lodge, kept aloof from local people, went out each morning on their horses with empty sacks and came back in the evening with half full sacks. In about a fortnight the curiosity level of the local folk on their activities reached the zenith. They tried to befriend the two guys. After a lot of persuasion, they reluctantly revealed the secret. They showed the people the rough diamonds they have been able to get after digging the area they had located. Now a number of people in the county wanted to partake in this venture. After a lot of persuasion two tricksters agreed to take them to the place where the diamond mine was located. After seeing the rough diamonds the people were convinced. The two people floated a company, the shares of which were bought by the people from the county. And one night both the tricksters fled with the money and rough diamonds.
After some time two geologists happened to visit the county and when they were told of the above episode they became skeptical as according to them there cannot any diamond mine in that place or its vicinity. The geologists were taken to the place where diamonds were found. Since the geologists were extremely skeptical they made a thorough search and then they found one diamond in the bush and another polished diamond. It later transpired that the two tricksters have been buying rough diamonds from various parts of the world for executing the scam. One of the investor from the county after a long search traced one of the tricksters and shot him dead. The other one was not found.
4. Spy catching is an extremely difficult task, since the spies are experts in their field and are extremely careful. Much more difficult is to extract from them admission that they are indeed spies. Two such real incidents happened in Britain during the Second World War are enumerated below:
· A young lady was brought to the spy-catcher by the police who thought that she was a spy. She had a story of fleeing from her place, which was likely to be taken over by the enemies, and walking over 100 miles to the safety of London. The spy catcher interrogated her for hours but could not find even an iota of flaw in her story to suspect her. Yet his sixth sense told him that she was a spy. After interrogation one day, fed up with lack of progress in the matter, the spy catcher walked out of the room in a terrible mood. In the verandah without his being fully aware, he kicked a concrete flower pot and cursed. For a moment he felt excruciating pain in the leg. Suddenly an idea occurred to him and he went back to the woman and asked her to remove her shoes and stockings. She complied. He found no blisters in the feet. The skin was extremely smooth. Then he confronted her with this evidence. How was it that there are no blisters in the feet when she had claimed that she walked over 100 miles. And then she admitted that she was a spy.
· A German was caught by the Police and interrogated him for hours and hours. But they could not break his story. The interrogator also tried his best without any success. Then he had an idea. He hung a picture of Adolph Hitler on the wall and the suspect was made to sit in a chair facing the photo. Then the interrogator picked up a few arrows and started throwing the arrows at the picture of Hitler. But whenever the arrow found the mark, he loudly cursed Hitler. He used various taunting expletives at Hitler, such as, ‘ Got you buster, next time it is the firing squad, your hangman is ready, etc., ‘ After some time the prisoner jumped from his seat and shouted, ‘ Hail Hitler. He will destroy England. All of you will be killed. You can only pierce his eyes in the photo. He is an Aryan. And so am I.’ End story.
5. Two thieves broke into a posh house in the night when the occupants were away. They packed all that they wanted to steal. Then their eyes fell on the bar of the owner of the house, full of expensive liquors. The thieves thought that they will have a peg or two of finest whisky and then scam with their loot. The whisky was so divine and one peg to another peg continued for too long that they fell asleep. And they were caught.
6. Two thieves wanted to break into a posh house for stealing valuables. They had earlier observed that the main door was made of thick wood. Breaking it was not possible. They were also not adept in picking door locks. So they attached a dynamite on the door knob and blew it. The sound brought the neighbours and police and the thieves were arrested. Then the police told the thieves that the owners of the house had forgotten to lock the door and if only they had twisted the handle and pushed the door, they would have got easy entry to the house.
End old incidents. Now let us look into the present day anecdotes and tricksters.
*******
1. IN A FIRST, A NUDIST-ONLY HOTEL TO OPEN IN GERMANY
In what is claimed to be probably the world's first, a nudist-only hotel is all set to open in Germany.
Yes, you have heard it right. All the hotel guests will be required to leave their clothes at the reception while checking in and must be naked at all times when on the premises - ' or they will be required to leave.' the Daily Telegraph reported.
' We hope to open as soon as possible. It will be the first comprehensively nudist hotel in Germany,' a staff member of the planned Hotel rosen-garten, Silvia Probsthain said.
The hotel rules state that all guests must put towels on chairs and lounges before using them, that there would be no sexual harassment and that all sexual activity in ' commonly accessible rooms' is strictly forbidden.
Nude hiking is proving increasingly popular in Germany and two villages plan to mark special forest hiking routes for naked ramblers. The practice is frowned on in neighbouring Switzerland, however, where authorities plan to fine such behaviour.
My comments: Eons back, i.e., for millions and millions of years human beings lived with their birthday suites. Then they started draping certain parts of the body, either out of shame or to exhibit modernity or for reasons we cannot fathom after all the time that has gone by. As time went by human beings started covering their body more and more. Then in some places started the reverse trend, i.e., discarding one by one garments or shortening the size of the garments. And then the next stage happened of having nudist colonies. The recent development is short of culmination of the last chapter, i.e., man back in his birth suite all the time. It is too early to say what is there in store out of the latest development. A wag said that ' neckline has been coming down with passage of time and hemline has been going up. The question is will they meet. ‘
2. MODEL-BOXER BANNED FROM RING OVER FAKE BREASTS
Model Sarah Blewden is the first Briton to be banned from competing as an amateur boxer because of her breast implants.
Boxing chiefs barred Sarah, 25, after being warned that repeated blows could damage breast tissue. The fighter, who hoped to compete in the 2012 Olympics, had a boob operation in 2003 taking her from a 32B to 32C.
Sarah, who runs a hair salon, only turned to boxing two years ago to keep fit. But she had talent and was stunned when the Amateur Boxing Association refused her permission to compete. Medics insisted her boobs were at risk of contraction or distortion if hit. Cells in tissue pushed forward by the implants could also be harmed.
Sarah, of Poole, Dorset, said: ' It is ridiculous. My surgeon said they make me no more vulnerable than any woman. They are not enormous and they are gel so won't burst.' She asked to wear a breast protector, but she was told it might not work.
ABA's Tony Atwood said: ' International rules forbid anyone with breast implants continuing to box.'
My comments: It started with Olympics and various athlete meets and probably in boxing, i.e., participants taking drugs and other substances to artificially enhance their performance. Agreed, the current story is not exactly in the same league. In the times to come various ingenious methods would be tried by sportsmen and women and artists to out perform others. There would be tricky situations. International agreements would have to be worked out.
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